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March 2013

Publication in PDF 

Briefs provide the opportunity to submit in writing opinions, comments and recommendations on a subject being studied by a parliamentary committee.

Who can submit a brief?

Any individual or organization may submit a written brief to a committee of the House of Commons, even if they are not given the opportunity to appear before the committee. Witnesses appearing before a committee, in person or by videoconference, are also encouraged, but not required, to submit a brief in support of their presentation.

Content of a brief

Each committee may set its own criteria for determining whether briefs are relevant and acceptable, and the committee clerk will inform you of the specific requirements, if any. In general:

• Briefs must contain factual information and support the views expressed and claims made in a clear and concise fashion.
• Recommendations to the committee must be as specific as possible, especially suggested amendments to bills. They must also be summarized at the end of the brief.
• Briefs should normally be about ten (10) pages in length. A summary of at most 500 words must accompany any brief longer than ten (10) pages.
• The author’s name (and his or her organization, if any) must be clearly indicated on the title page of the brief. The address, phone number and email address of the individual or organization must be provided separately in a letter or e-mail accompanying the brief.
• Organizations must provide a general description of themselves at the end of the brief.
• All reference materials used must be clearly indicated.
• Logos, line drawings, graphics, tables and charts should be rendered in black ink, as other colours may not be readily photocopied. Please avoid using such figures if they are not available in both official languages.
• Photographs submitted with briefs are preferably in black and white.

Publication of briefs

Briefs submitted to committees become part of their public archives. As a result, they may be provided to the public at the committee’s discretion. The committee may also post your brief on its Web site. In addition, a copy of every brief is retained by Library and Archives Canada.

When a committee drafts a report following the study for which you submitted a brief, the name of your organization or your name (if you submitted the brief as an individual) will appear at the end of the report.

Submitting a brief

Although individuals and organizations may submit briefs in either official language, they are not given to committee members until they are available in both official languages. Consequently, unilingual briefs must be provided to the committee clerk in a timely fashion to allow for translation.

Witnesses must submit unilingual briefs of ten (10) pages or less usually at least five (5) working days before their appearance. Please consult the committee clerk to confirm the details as well as for information regarding longer or specialized (technical) briefs. Federal departments and agencies must submit their briefs in both official languages.

Please submit your brief to the committee clerk as soon as possible so that committee members have time to read it. Briefs are best submitted electronically to the committee’s e-mail address. Committees’ e-mail and postal addresses are available on Committees Web site.

If your brief is not sent to the committee clerk prior to your appearance, please consult the clerk to find out how many copies to bring to the meeting. If provided in both official languages, copies of the brief will be distributed to committee members and staff and may also be given to others attending the meeting.

For more information on committee business and the process of appearing before a committee, please consult the Committees Practical Guide and the Guide for Witnesses Appearing Before House of Commons Committees.